Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

79 reviews

cady_sass's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but don’t join that MLM. 

In all seriousness this is EXPERTLY done and I’m blown away. I’ve always been drawn to cult history and I really, really appreciate the work the author did here to include “cultish” behavior (hence, the title) of non cult entities- MLMs, fitness & CrossFit culture, MAGA, etc.- along with the obvious identifiable cults like Jonestown, Heavens Gate, and Nxivm, among others. 

Super important to give language to the behaviors and vernacular that are big red flags 🚩 so people can engage carefully and make informed decisions. Highly, highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Sexism, Classism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Racism, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt

renee_rain's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Cultish is a wonderful book about the language used in cults.

The word "cult" does not have a specific definition. Anything can be a cult from Starbucks to Heaven's Gate. Since reading, I have seen cultish language everywhere from Trader Joe's to my workplace.

The downside of this novel? I want so much more! Luckily, the author has a podcast, Sounds like a Cult.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Sexual assault

Minor: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

jes312's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

3.0

Definitely interesting. I wish it had been organized differently; sometimes the description of a cult or cult-like organization came a couple chapters after it was referenced. Each chapter could have been its own book. In some sections, the linguistics elements felt like more of an afterthought because so much page was spent on background.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Suicide, Death, Violence, and Bullying

mandkips's review against another edition

informative reflective slow-paced

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, and Murder

yogomagpie's review against another edition

informative fast-paced

4.0

I couldn’t put this one down. Some other reviewers wrote that some parts became repetitive, and I agree, but it was overall a very interesting and informative read on cultish language and how it translates in various spaces.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment

rayowag's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I enjoyed it just as much as her last book. This one had less structure than the last one and it did feel a bit weird in the beginning (I do think she could leave out a couple references to later in the book) but as I was nearing the end of the book I understood why she wrote and structured it this way.

Compared to her last book there was more storytelling in this one. While her last book was heavily leaning on interviews with and research by scholars and feminist history, this one went into stories of people in Cultish environments more and into behavior linked to linguistics. It only makes sense that this made for a more storytelling-centrered book that explains the basic linguistic concepts early on and shows how they work in actuality over and over again.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicide, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia

nadia's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

If you're curious in cults at all — how they come to be, how to spot them, how anyone ever gets sucked into them ("They must not be smart, could never be me...")... — then this is a must-read!

I really liked how Cultish was packed with research but also featured a lot of personal anecdotes, both from the author and people she interviewed. I also loved how we spanned many different types of "cult", including instances that several of us experience day-to-day, and the focus on language was fascinating.

I've got lots to go away and think about, and look out for (👀), now! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual assault, Racism, Sexism, and Gaslighting

Minor: Death

scherbs's review against another edition

emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Suicide

Moderate: Murder, Sexual assault, and Death

snd1101's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

Reads like a memoir; would like more credible evidence and analysis; if you’re conversant in linguistics, you’re not the target audience. A good splashy introduction with broad coverage of several USian cults and cultlike practices (which i liked having the coverage of!), but go elsewhere if you’re looking for substance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, and Suicide

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Addiction, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, and Misogyny

thebookpaiges's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Suicide, and Homophobia

Moderate: Sexual assault and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Vomit